Help me understand… Isn’t that what I had to pay for in order to be “ok’d” to re-register my truck? Every other year? I’m ok with doing what we can to clean the air but this checkpoint seems like a waste of money to me. Very disappointed…..

Oh, noooooooooooo…. Well, I DID pass by them on the way back to my home today, but I saw only one police car in the right lane near some trucks and some sawhorse things, and it looked as though the patrol car/officer was helping with traffic control because of the road work or equipment hazard. I thought the officer WAVED at me, so I smiled really-really big and waved BACK!!!!!! He was probably waving for me to PULL OVER???? Oh, Mayor, I been bad.

PS – I was going to comment on the Spare the Air BS, I’ll do it here:http://imageshack.us/f/32/jetexhaust11.jpg/
It’s Hilarious that Trucks, Trains, Ships, Planes are all Exempt. Are all gov cars that have the “exempt” plates also exempted from smog checks? Yup, another TAX on the small guy.

Saw and I thought the officer was trying to get me to slow down…turns out he was trying to get me to pull in…I too thought it was do to the construction which by the way is just awefull…I tripped over the dang raised curb due to the new pavement being so low…I hope they plan on fixing that…it’s just aweful…if they don’t the city should sue for such crap work

What a scam – I’ll bet this is targeted towards ricers or high performance cars doing illegal modifications. It’s easier catching fools with their catalytic converters removed and selling their cars on Craigslist.
I thought Concord was already on top of this with the Friday night car show at the mall – Best way to get caught ridin’ dirty is showing up to that car show.
Just drive a smog exempt classic car to avoid this dictatorship.

Are you people blind? The article states right there that “there are no consequences to you for participating REGARDLESS of your emission equipment or emission levels”.

What’s there to sweat? They’re simply gathering DATA, for their purposes (whatever that may be). They aren’t out to screw you. Got a hot date? Can’t stop for 10 minutes to get a FREE inspection? Some people boil their water wayyyy too fast!

Why do they have to gather this data? Isn’t this raw data already gathered via the dmv smog check requirements to license a vehicle? Seems like a waste of effort, and an inconvenience to people who have already had their vehicles smog checked for reg.

I’m all for it. A cleaner environment is important for now and in the future. Have you ever been behind a car that is burning oil so badly that the smoke is black or the white smoke deems that the car is burning oil.
I know that people are hurting for money. People can barely afford the gas that fuels their cars let alone the maintenance, but this is something that will come back to haunt us.
Perhaps the state can collect the data and possible pass a tax incentive for people to purchase a newer, cleaner fuel burning car like they do in Europe. We are lagging in some of our environmental incentives…….

I remember way back in the 70’s, the CHP had “inspection” checkpoints, just like a DUI checkpoint. They checked your lights, windshield, horn…then gave you a sticker for the window. It happened all the time.

I don’t like this smog thing. The “safety checks” from the 70’s took about a minute…..but to stop you for 10 minutes to “check” your smog? You have current registration, so that means you passed the biennial smog already.

When I was younger I had a car that I converted from FI to dual carbs. It passed all the smog testing equipment but failed the “visual”. I used to pay some guy $100 bucks to pass me.

The CHP used to run an operation where they would watch you pull out of a testing station and see of you passed. They would then hook you up and run the test again. If you failed, that shop got in some trouble, I think they even started taking licenses away. Luckily for me my vehicle became except shortly after that.

I’m confused. Aren’t our vehicles suppose to be already checked in order to renew our registration and this way they already are suppose to have all the data already….. is this the double checking part? Confusing

I’m sorry ANON I just can’t let you get away with the Eco-Nazi nonsense.
1. As was already mentioned, we pay through the nose every two years for a mandated smog check. And god help your wallet if the ‘check engine’ light comes on.
2.’Come back to haunt us’….I’m sorry but that scam is worn out in The Peoples Republic of Californicate.
3.’Collect more data to pass a tax incentive’ ???? Obviously you have not checked the condition of the State budget lately. Not to mention, Oh Socialist Guru, that Europe is not doing too spiffy right now either.
4. If you like it so much, you pay for it.

I’m usually about as pro-police as you get and even I think this is garbage. There is no immediate public safety concern like a DUI check-point and there are already required smog checks for registration. If this was truly involuntary and people were being detained just for BAR to gather data, then that’s ridiculous. If they have some independent reasonable suspicion to make a detention, fine, but this sounds unreasonable.

We have an old beater Toyota truck. It was in a fender bender during the past year. Insurance company decided to total it even though the only damage was a dent in the rear. We decided to keep it. The registration came due in April. It passed smog, we sent everything in, and got a letter last week telling us because it is a salvaged vehicle it has to have all these extra tests and inspections done on it. It’s going to cost us about $500 to get all these things done. Talk about a racket!!

Um TinFoiler, Trucks are not exempt. The Pete I drive at work has to have a smog check, and we have to get new ones in 2014 because the 07’s we drive now will no longer be C A R B compliant ( California Air Resources Board)

momo,
If the accident would have happened on another State where the labor rate is less, your truck most likely would not have been totaled and given a salvage title – You should have steered clear of your insurance and got a quote directly from an Autobody shop and avoided the Salvage title SCAM.

@Mister Wister. wrong. Test stations are now ‘test only’ (they cannot do repairs, thus avoiding conflllict of interest), and the results are fed real-time to Sacramento. If your car is failing, there is no way to avoid Sacto getting that info (and your car ID).
what is happening is a resurgence of the EPA flexing its unconstitutional muscle. Remember 55mph? No State wanted it, but the EPA told them if they didn’t prove compliance, they’d withhold Fed funding to the States.
Seems the EPA claimed 55 was better for the air, thus they had authority to set state speed limits. I thought Dept of Trans would have been the logical choice.

and for all the lip-flapping about Fed vs state on immigration, etc, CA has always gone its own way with smog: at one time, only CA required catalytic converters, forcing Detroit to make a 49-state version and a CA version of each car. Shouldn’t CA be forced to accept Fed standards for clean air? Or is this another ‘exemption’ for Dem States?

Bottom line: CHP is for traffic enforcement on freeways. They shouldn’t be doing anything in city limits. They shouldn’t be providing manpower for EPA BS. That is not what we are paying for. They certainly shouldn’t be duplicating tests we pay (excessively) for already, through the DMV.

Mister Wister is correct.
They are trying to get the Riff Raff out of the Industry by the end of the
year so they can roll out the new “star program” for Smog check stations.
I agree, the implementation may seem strange and random, but getting
even a fraction of the deceptive smog stations out of the program will improve things dramatically.

Ridiculous waste of time! Aren’t there any REAL crimes happening that the police should be worried about. Homocide, Rape, Robbery, Gang Violence, Domestic Violence, Drug Dealing, to name a few. We are becoming too obsessed with petty stuff like Smog Checks & Jaywalking! Just a thought

@Dennis, #50
You have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. It has nothing to do with whether a station is smog check only or not. It has to do with unscrupulous smog check station owners taking extra payment to pass a vehicle that ordinarily wouldn’t pass. Additionally, there are both regular smog check and “testing only” smog check stations.

At Anon No. 33:
“….. pass a tax incentive for people to purchase a newer, cleaner fuel burning car like they do in Europe …..”

Actually, most of the pollutants created by car ownership are created during the manufacturing process. Everything from mining the iron ore, through smelting, rolling of the sheet steel, stamping of the panels, transportation of the finished car (not to mention production of the mining equipment and all the different equipment all along the line), etc. puts about 25 tons of pollutants into the environment per car. Suppose you buy a new car every year (or if you buy a used car, that enables the seller to buy a new car), that’s 25 tons of pollutants a year that you’re putting into the environment, plus the operating pollutants.
On the other hand, if you keep driving the same old car year after year, all you have are the operating pollutants, while the 25 tons of production pollutants are amortized over the life of the car.
In short, driving an older, more-polluting car can be cleaner for the environment than buying a cleaner-running car.
Of course, people don’t see the production pollutants in their day-to-day driving, so they don’t think about it.

I wish there was half this much opposition to the illegal Concord DUI/license checks.

At the same time, I am laughing how everyone is getting pulled over for this inspection and has their panties in a wad. Too late to object now. Should have voiced your opposition to the illegal DUI checks. Now it’s happening to you and there is no one left to complain. Ha ha!

@Dennis: you’re not very bright. What Mister Wister was saying was that there are smog shops out there that for a few extra bucks (under the table of course) will ensure your gross polluting or highly modified vehicle passes smog inspection. In can be done in a variety of ways usually involving a clean running vehicle as the one that the emissions are tested on after imputing your vehicles information. The shop owner takes the risk of losing his business, fines and criminal charges. That’s why you’re gonna pay more and you have to know the right people. I had several vehicles in my teens and would always opt for the non-street legal high performance parts. I knew the right people to make sure I passed smog. Nowhere do I see that he was talking about repairs

Second: It’s The California HIGHWAY Patrol not the FREEWAY Patrol. The CHP has many more responsibilities than just traffic enforcement on the freeway. Say you crash your car in an unincorporated area not on a freeway Who do you think would respond and investigate? Crimes on State property?Drug interdiction? Cargo theft? Vehicle theft? The list goes on and on. They are the State Police and cover a wide variety including assisting other agencies such as BAR, CARB and EPA. Not to mention local law enforcement. Do a little research before you comment, it keeps you from uneducated.

Newer diesels (IIRC 2006 and newer) are subject to a particulate matter (PM) tests. Heavy duty trucks, IE big rigs, are required to retrofitted with filters and such which comes out out of the pocket of independent and corporate truckers thereby increasing the cost for every Californian. Trucks without the clean air systems are not allowed to operate in certain areas like the Port of Oakland.

You can thank the enviro-nazis and CARB for additional bureaucracy in the name of “it’s for your own good”. I’m damned tired to be told and legislated up the ass with “for your own good”.

How about the CHP and ICE setting up a freaking checkpoint at the border to check for those resource-sucking ILLEGAL ALIENS??

I wish I had known about this in advance. I would have driven down there specifically to go through the smog check. My truck is modified, but all the aftermarket parts are CARB legal, so I have nothing to fear.

@ Erik. I agree with you except that most blind people I’ve known are much more intuitive. Of course they don’t drive much so this topic might not be of interest. However I believe they can see clearer than most of the above posters

In Colorado they set up smog trucks by the side of the on-ramps that collect ur data and photograph ur license plate, of ur out of whack, they send u a ticket in the mail, along with instructions to get it fixed and get it re-smogged or face heavy fines… All this along with regular smog inspections

What’s the big deal? If your car passed the initial smog test then it should pass it again. So many here like to bitch and moan. Don’t like it in California then move to Texas or Arizona because you’ll fit right in!!!!!!!

@ ancient Mariner, “….. pass a tax incentive for people to purchase a newer, cleaner fuel burning car like they do in Europe …..”

I was just trying to be constructive not destructive like you. Dialogue amongst the masses creates ideas and innovative thinking. Don’t like my post then why can’t you politely disagree? I have lived in the UK and have seen what can be accomplished despite the tight economy. They may not be doing so hot economically but then again we are heading in for more dismal days and a decaying society.

Why did they have to pick Concord Blvd? I live in Dana Estates and came up West street to get home yesterday.
Because of the work on Concord Blvd, it took me 17 minutes to get from West, to my house…. This was due to heavy traffic already going on plus the fact you couldn’t turn onto Landana nor could you turn into Dana Plaza…..
Again, why did they choose Concoed Blvd to do this test?
Not enough confusion already?

What if you are due for a smog check (just received registration papers). The least they could do if they pick you at this checkpoint, is give you a certificate that you passed to send to DMV (if you passed of course) and save you the cost of having to have it smogged at a station again. Now THAT would be nice of them.

Big brother needs to show they need to hire more employees to watch us.
Once they grow government large enough, they can beat (those few not yet working for big brother) into submission and force us to work in low paying degrading jobs that would make us want to work for the government.

This happens down in SoCal all the time, these roving smog checks. Unlike in SoCal, this check says it doesn’t affect your vehicle’s smog record with the state. In SoCal, the polluting cars get impounded immediately.

zzzz you are a poster child for public education. The CHP was created before the new “Interstate Freeway” system was in place, so “highway” applied to all non-downtown roads.

if you break down in an unincorporated area, you get the Sherrif’s Dept, not the CHP. until the 70s, the CHP used to send 1 car/day across Marsh Creek, and by the 80s, the Sherrif also stopped running a car along that route.

since then, the CHP has been tasked with freeway traffic. at $120k per cop.

so why are they operating on a surface street in the middle of a city? don’t we already pay for those obnoxious orange EPA cars, running around sniffing car exhausts like a dog in heat? why is the CHP duplicating the jobs we are already paying for?

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